Sometimes expensive beauty tools really are worth the investment. Ghd’s Platinum+ Professional Styler is one of the most expensive straighteners (265 €, really) but it dethroned my all-time favourite straightener in one simple, hot glide.

I have been a loyal fan of L’Oréal Professionnel and Rowenta’s Steampod for years, the straightener that uses steam and heat to get locks shiny, frizz-free and straight. I convinced several family members and friends to make the investment and was convinced no other styler could ever do the job as well.

Until I got to test the Platinum+ by ghd a couple of months ago. The British brand is the Rolls-Royce of the curling tongs and straighteners. It is known for its extensive research and can even count on the expertise of a British professor, Tim Moore, who is the Vice President Smart Devices at Coty. That knowledge leads to high-tech hair styling tools that are loved by so many hairdressers, beauty journalists and influencers.

The Platinum+ is no exception. The “professional styler” uses ultra zone sensors that scan how much hair you style and how much pressure you use to style it so the device can keep working at a safe 185°C and promise to straighten hair in one single go.

(According to professor Moore 185°C is the best temperature to style hair. A lower temperature makes it harder to style hair and make it shiny. A higher temperature damages your locks. Other brands claim hair gets damaged at a temperature of 220°C or more. I am not a scientist, so I do not know who has got it right.)

But enough about research and special sensors: why is this straightener so good? First of all, it is very user-friendly. You switch it on and within 20 seconds it is ready to use. (It even seems to be quicker than 20 seconds to me.) It is light-weight and small, so easy to use. And it makes my normal, wavy hair straight, shiny and frizz-free in one single glide. (But I go over the same lock twice, just to make sure it stays straight for a long time.) And I get to keep my Jennifer Aniston locks until the next wash. Pretty impressive but I would not expect anything less from a device that costs as much as a weekend getaway.

Why do I prefer the Platinum+ over the Steampod? It is smaller and lighter, which means it a handier to use. Plus, there is no water bowl attached to it, so you can easily put it in your luggage if you cannot imagine being on holiday without perfectly straightened hair.

The advantage of the Steampod is that you can set the temperature and can start at 140°C. That might not be ideal according to professor Moore but it does make my hair straighter. I usually set it at 170°. In my logic, the higher the temperature, the more you are damaging your hair. (Another advantage: the Steampod costs 82€ less than the Platinum+.)

Still, whenever I want to style my hair nowadays (which isn’t that often), I pick ghd because the result seems to be just a tad more straight and frizz-free.